Why Search Commands? - Office Labs

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4/24/2008

Before answering why Search Commands, thank you for downloading it if you already have. If not, we hope you do soon.

So, why Search Commands? Searching for commands in applications follows the trend of searching for information on the Internet and on your own computer. When Web surfing first became a mainstream activity, people relied on directories like Yahoo!’s to find specific Web pages, much in the same way they relied on folder structures to find documents on their computers. But the large number of Web pages made browsing an inefficient way of finding a Web page. Similarly, the number of e-mail messages, MP3 files, photos, and other types of files made browsing the computer a pain. Search interfaces came on the scene as a welcome addition to browsing. The question brewing within the team was what are the advantages and disadvantages of using search as an additional way to access commands in software products.

A prototype was created to evaluate the idea. Earlier versions were used by Microsoft employees to test out this concept with Office 2007 – Word, PowerPoint and Excel. We selected these applications because they are successful, have a lot of commands, and have an extensible UI. The feedback and usage metrics generated by the Microsoft employees greatly helped to improve the early versions of Search Commands. Now we would like everyone to try out the prototype.

Office Labs will be collecting and analyzing feedback and usage metrics from users to understand what are the advantages and disadvantages of using search as an additional way to access commands in software products. Think of it as one big experiment.

Interested? Install Search Commands and please let us know what you think
Questions? Check out the Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Comments? Post away. Comments should follow these guidelines

Posted at 4:55 PM by Nicole (Office Labs) | Category: Search Commands | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (26)

Comments

Great Tool

This is a wonderfull idea and I am sure a lot of people will be glad to have it, including myself. Plus it has a lot of potential where I can see this implemented in various applications. Good job guys!

Eltawil at 4/28/2008 6:10 AM

Great to have it!

This is a feature I requested as a DCR during the Office 12 BETA. I am glad to see it finally making its way into the Office 2007 UI Public Domain. Yes, Office 2007 is a radical productive departure with its Office Fluent UI and as new users continue to get them familiarized with it, Search Commands will just make the transition oh so much easier. Nearly 15 years of the traditional Standard and Formatting Toolbar commands, this will no doubt make Office '07 even more enticing to move to.

Thanks,
A. Da Costa
http://adacosta.spaces.live.com

adacosta at 4/28/2008 6:55 AM

hotkey?

What is the hotkey to invoke search? I'd hate to have to leave the keyboard, grab the mouse, click the tab, click the search box and start typing just to find a command...

fletch at 4/28/2008 7:20 AM

Nice

I'm on a Mac at work, so I can't try this out immediately, but will tonight on my PC laptop. It looks like it has promise and I'll be happy with anything that will get me to familiar commands faster.

Maybe you guys could hammer out something that makes an option where the ribbon can be reverted to the old toolbar. Now then I could get work done instead of working to find commands that have been familiar for the past 15 years :) Just a thought from a long-time user.

John Adam at 4/28/2008 7:29 AM

@Fletch - Hotkey?

Windows Key + Y will put focus in the search field.

Cheers!

Nicole (Office Labs) at 4/28/2008 9:10 AM

Neat

I've been using the Command Reference Guide on the Microsoft website for some time to find various commands that I couldn't locate on the Ribbon, I wish this existed from the very beginning! It was always a pain to have to open up IE, go to my bookmarked page and then go through the process of viewing the Guide. This is MUCH more convienient.

I now have pretty good knowledge of the '07 so my need for this isn't as great as it once was, but I can't wait to share it with my collegues and clients! Nice work!

Amber at 4/28/2008 9:52 AM

PLEASE HELP! Can't uninstall Community Clips

How do I uninstall Community Clips? It doesn't appear in Add/Remove Programs and there's no uninstall in the menu or Programs group. After I installed it now I can't shut down Windows. I select Start/Shut Down/Shut Down and nothing happens.

Community Clips is similar to the Windows 3.1 macro recorder in that you can't edit anything after you record the video. I don't see any settings for sound either.

DavidS at 4/29/2008 5:20 AM

Great concept

What a great concept! The only thing I don’t like about it is the fact that it’s a concept product and things that start out as such usually disappear and are never hear from. The Guided help tour is great start for anyone that is just learning how to turn-on a computer (simple and clear), good job guys. I’ll be putting the word out in my school about this product, please try to keep it alive

Devorg at 4/29/2008 9:47 AM

It just "makes sense"...

So intuitive and obvious it feels it has always been here. I have been writing Essays for B-School and keeping them on office live so my girlfriend and I could review and edit from different offices. The issue she was facing was her work computer has Office 2003 and our home has 2007 which she rarely used and became frustrated until I installed this, now it just fits...

Thats just one story and I'm sure there are many others.

John

josst10 at 4/29/2008 9:52 AM

Can't Uninstall Community Clips?

I posted this same reply on the Community Clips blog entry, but I'll post it here too in case you didn't see it there.

Thanks for the feedback on Community Clips. There is a way to uninstall (through Add/Remove programs - it should be listed as Community Clips from Microsoft Office Labs). We understand that you don't see this for some reason, so we're trying to get to the bottom of why. What OS are you using?

We'll reply as soon as we have more info on this issue.

Regarding your other questions, DhavalS has a nice reply on the Community Clips blog that should help you out.

Thank you for the feedback!

Jen (Office Labs) at 4/29/2008 10:13 AM

Must I search for tools now?

Is there no way to just put my old toolbars back?

Well, I guess it's at least a way to help us find the things...

Too bad this blog wasn't around before you decided to create the ribbon interface.

XL Jedi at 4/29/2008 12:40 PM

New UI

This comment is for all the people that are compiling about the new UI.
Get over it!!
I for one love it. It is very well layed out and now 3rd party programs like Adobe can't add crap tool bars to it, that take up screen space. I know you have used office for 15 years, so that means you want the Windows 3.1 interface back or how about MS Bob. Buy a book, take a class, search The internet or I don't know learn something NEW! Should the rest of the world stop using new software? or coming up with better ways of doing things?
I am sorry for going off like this, but it is people like you that stop creative development, not help it. Open your mind and give it a real try. Not just look. I have been using it since its release and now look at the previous versions as old and cumbersome.
Thats my 2 cents.

Josh VDW at 4/30/2008 10:39 AM

Old Command Names

Hi. I've just installed the search commands tool. Potentially very useful tool for end user help (to reduce service centre "how do I..." calls).

However, I decided to try it out on an old command that's been renamed: Insert File is now Insert Text, Object, Text from file. This is one that took a little while for me to find when I first encountered it. The problem is, when I tried to find the "insert file" command it failed to offer the command under its new name. I'm guessing this also applies to other renamed commands. It would extend the usefulness of this tool if it would find the new commands when searching using the old name.

Wouldn't most users, if they're searching for commands at all, be most likely to be searching for commands they can't find because they've been renamed?

Graeme at 5/1/2008 7:27 AM

Re: New UI

I'm sorry, was I compiling again?

I actually like Vista...

I believe this is the first UI, that I recall, that needed a dedicated search tool to navigate it.

The ribbon takes up a lot of real estate... it's a little too showy and cluttered with all the graphics. I'm still playing with it though.

It very well could be that in the end, folks will like it better. I think MS could've done a better job with the transition. Similar, perhaps, to how they managed to migrate Lotus 1-2-3 users over to the "new" Windows toolbar menu.

Search the internet? ...really. So tell me some of your favorite Excel internet resources.

XL Jedi at 5/1/2008 7:31 AM

Search Command missing from Excel after 1 use

Although, I don't really have a problem with the Ribbon, I do like the search command idea.

I installed it tonight. I opened and tested in Word and Excel. I closed Excel and went back in a few minutes later and the Search Command is no longer there. Word and Powerpoint are still there?

I'm running Vista Ultimate and Windows 2007. I have not tried to re-install yet.

Ed Anderson at 5/1/2008 7:32 PM

Re: New UI

Josh, I used the trial version of Office 2007, Excel in particular. Excel proved to be unstable and crashed frequently. In addition, after using the Ribbon, I found it to be cumbersome, illogical and thus counter productive. I've subsequently reverted to Office 2003 since the new UI wasn't useful to me. That's called personal preference. It takes maturity to understand that.

Re those comments about creative development, I'm willing to bet some posters here have been responsible for more creative development than you.

AK at 5/1/2008 8:07 PM

RE: New UI

I am sorry for going off like that! It has been trying for me to get people to see the new office, as for a link to a Excel resource thate a look at this:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/HA101491511033.aspx
That page gives you an interactive tour, you click the old button in office 2003 and it shows you what tab and location in the ribbon.
There are other resouces there as well.
As for it crashing your system AK are you sure its not the system? or you need updates?

Josh

Josh VDW at 5/5/2008 7:02 AM

Re: Why Search Commands?

Yeah I know about that link...

I was asking just to see if you knew what the good resources were for Excel research. I happen to run one of em and I'm a member of all the rest.

If I have to use 2007, I'm going to build a new toobar interface for it. ...although, I probably won't see it at work for at least 3-5 years, since I wouldn't recommend our IT dept make that change anytime soon.

I work for a large company btw with 20k+ employees. Hint to MS, if you want your large clients to move to 2007 inside the next decade, you better do something about that interface.

XL Jedi at 5/5/2008 7:41 AM

To Josh:

Josh, the computer in question is a new laptop, running Vista Home Premium. Excel 2007 is the ONLY application that crashed intermittently and repeatedly. After getting rid of Office 2007 (which I tried out for almost two months) and installing Office 2003, the crashes have disappeared.

Josh, I've been using Office apps for a long time now. Over the years, I've been involved in the design of some rather unusual UIs myself. The new Ribbon interface, imho, is illogical, counterproductive and provides zero advantage over the classic UI, as far as my requirements are concerned. Ergo, for me, it is a sheer waste of time to learn the Ribbon UI and to spend the $$$s to "upgrade".

Secondly, imho, the so-called research Jensen Harris claims, as well as the Office 2007 acceptance numbers are suspect. On Jensen's blog, several people have asked about how the data was collected. No answer!

Thirdly, MS has tried to shove the Ribbon UI down the users' throats. Have you noticed how many users, both here and elsewhere, have asked for a classic UI option? MS has basically chosen to ignore those them. Pretty much all of those users represent long time MS customers. Talk about arrogance!

Had MS provided a classic UI option, I'm willing to bet money that the so-called "acceptance" numbers (Jensen Harris claims 85%) would have been vastly different.

BTW, there are several businesses, including large corporations, that have chosen to forego upgrades to Vista and/or Office 2007 because they do not see the business value in it.

In conclusion, a new UI is fine. The Ribbon UI, to quite a few long time users, does NOT represent progress and provides little or no value. Those are the facts.

-- gemini

AK at 5/21/2008 8:32 PM

Object Oriented Languages "Yelow Brick Road to Agility"

I have no doubts Microsoft Windows O/S, it incredible Servers SQL & NT have now reason to work for nimble application in today's ffice Suit. Search Command not only enhances collaboration but also trains Users in technically self-tutored way; that is revolutionary.

The benefits of Search Command are complementary to the entire Office Live creative processes - swift, resourceful, but adaptable to change overhaul!

The whole concept interlocks with a paradigm shift we've already perceived.

Xpluggedz1

Xpluggedz1 at 10/17/2009 9:10 PM

Support for Office 2010

I am wondering if Search Command will be extended to address the commands in Office 2010? This tool has been a long time in coming to the public forum and as people discover it, it will be a very popular download.

Thanks for all your work? As I was an early tester in my MS days, if you are going to extend the tool to Office 2010 and need testers please let me know.

gljaeger@hotmail.com

Stonebird at 10/20/2009 6:27 PM

Site pages

Why are the fonts used on these pages either light blue or light orange?

You want it to be arty?

You want it to be illegible?

Congratulations!

Coroboree at 10/31/2009 7:57 PM

Suggestion: add a "Recent actions" (or "Recent commands") too

Had suggested this directly to Microsoft (being an MVP) long time ago, I guess others may have done so too in the meantime. Glad it finally got implemented.

I have another suggestion for you however, to add a "Recent actions" toolbar apart from the "Quick Access" and "Search Command" toolbars. Read here for more: http://birbilis.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!2335BBEF59B92C54!1563.entry

birbilis at 4/30/2010 11:11 AM

For Office 2010 as well? Please?

It's pretty clear that transitioning to the ribbon from Word 2003 can be a roadbump. It really would assist if a version of Search Commands would issue for Word 2010 as well. Any word as to that?

And for those who miss Word's old menu structure, a nifty Add-In brings it back, as its own separate tab: http://www.ubit.ch/software/ubitmenu-languages/. (Mods, if it's not permissible to provide the link here, please delete it.)

Mikerman at 5/6/2010 6:52 PM

MS - Please update Search Commands for 2010

I truly hope that Search Commands is made available for Office 2010, if not integrated into 2010 as a default feature. Many people will have their first exposure to the ribbon in 2010. Search Commands makes learning the ribbon much easier, speeding the learning process greatly, and certainly making it infinately less frustrating.

Please update and make Search Commands available for 2010!

Regards,
Drew

EzySetup at 5/9/2010 3:45 PM